For any Internet marketing expert, Facebook is still a gold mine for Internet marketing opportunities. Admittedly though, the social networking giant has some privacy issues that need to be addressed. Now, an Internet marketing expert may have to adjust to a shift in Facebook’s privacy policies.
In a report for the Internet Retailer by Allison Enright, Facebook agreed to get its user’s consent before sharing information and to submit to privacy audits, under a proposed agreement with the Federal Trade Commission. Under this new agreement, Facebook must get consent before sharing information beyond the scope of the privacy settings they selected. In addition, the Palo Alto, California-based company must also maintain a program that will protect customer confidentiality and address current privacy risks.
Founder and head honcho Mark Zuckerberg said that these changes signify Facebook’s “clear and formal long-term commitment” to give users tools to control the information they share on the world’s most popular networking site. Zuckerberg also noted that the company has already looked into some of the issues involving advertisers receiving user data they were not supposed to have access to. The company has also created two executive positions to better address future privacy issues. Erin Egan has been named Chief Privacy Officer, Policy, while Michael Richter has been assigned as Chief Privacy Officer, Products.
In the article, Zuckerberg was quoted saying that while the company admits to some mistakes in the past, Facebook is committed to becoming a “leader in transparency and control around privacy.”
For any Internet marketing expert, this serves as a challenge to find effective ways to market on Facebook without violating the ever-changing boundaries of privacy.